Be a Doer, not a Don't-er.

I’ve been reading “The Magic of Thinking Big,” by David J. Schwartz, PhD. This book was originally published in 1959, yet it is full of useful information that directly applies to today. It seems that the basics of success in life are the same no matter what time period one may be living in.

One illustration the author makes struck me as being right on the mark. In the past I have heard others give the advice to do something and not to put it off until things are perfect. Because, if you wait until every risk is eliminated it is highly likely that the project, the things you wish to do, will never happen. The more you put it off, the more “reasons” you will come up with that indicate more time to wait. By and by, it never even starts.

Knowing this as a fact still doesn’t make it any easier to get started on the ‘thing’ worth doing. The illustration Dr. Schwartz used was simple and it really put it in perspective for me. He said to suppose you want to drive from Chicago to Los Angeles. If you wait until you can be completely assured that there will be no road construction, no detours, no bad drivers, no bad weather, no problems of any kind, you would never start the trip. Of course it is a good idea to plan your trip out, to look at a map and, possibly, list the route you expect to take, but you need to actually get in the car and start driving before you have any chance of reaching your destination.

That made a lot of sense to me. This is an illustration I will follow in my own life and I will offer it to others as they need a bit of encouragement.

Heart warming Conversation

Earlier today I had a telephone conversation with a former workmate. She was my front office manager while I was general manager in New Mexico.

She is now general manager of a Hampton Inn. As we continued to talk I asked about another person we worked with, whom I promoted to a management position, and she is now a general manager of a Holiday Inn Express in Nevada.

While working with these two ladies I could see the potential they both had for management. It is heartwarming to see them grow and develop their skills to achieve their potential. I'm happy that I had a hand in that development.

Back In Action

After a sabbatical, I am back and ready to go.

I was out of the country for a while to refresh myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Now I am feeling good and eager to get back to work.

This is my first post since my return to the U.S. and I am in the process of updating my e-mails, websites, and profiles. Please be patient as I go through the process.

Thank you.

Hotel Manager Talk podcast

I was recently introduced to a wonderful podcast for hotel employees.

Hotel Manager Talk is a podcast where you can get the latest in hospitality news and download it for your MP3 player. This is a terrific way to keep up on things while driving to your hotel, while working out, or any time in your day where you could stand a little more productivity.

I have found these podcasts to be just perfect for a busy hotel manager.
The best part about it is, the articles are presented by an experienced hospitality professional. So, you know the information is truly applicable and current.

Check it out and give it a listen.
I think you will like it as much as I do.

Housekeeping Inspection

I have finished my booklet "A General Manager's Housekeeping Inspection Program."

This booklet describes a manager inspection program that works very well at improving and maintaining the highest quality in guest room cleanliness.

It is available through this link
or through Amazon.com

More FREE Goodies

I just made two more items from my Hotel Manager's Toolbox CD available on the "FREE Goodies" page of my website.

You will find there a sample General Apology Letter that I found to be very effective.
And, I added a Debit Card Notice. This is in a PDF form and can be used to inform guests that funds held on a debit card can take up to seven days after check-out to return to their bank account.

Check them out.
If you decide to use them, be sure to make necessary changes to fit your hotel and your situation.

Thanks.

Recognition Idea

As GM I would give my staff members small thank you cards. They were about the size of a business card with a word of encouragement on the front and blank in the middle. G-neil Company carried some of these cards.

I would sit at my desk and write supportive messages inside the cards. Messages like "You are doing a great job. Thanks" or "I am so glad you are on our team." Then I placed the cards inside their envelopes and carry two or three in my pocket. When I would see an employee doing something right I would take out a card and write their name on the envelope. I did this with housekeeping especially, since they are the hardest working department with the least amount of recognition.

The employees thought the card was a planned recognition just for them. They saw their name on the envelope and imagined me selecting the little card just for them and writing the message with them in mind, then searching the property to deliver their card personally. They didn't know I had a pocket full of prepared cards.

It didn't matter, they felt appreciated and that was the point.

Find ways to show appreciation for your staff and they will take care of your guests.

Next Book

My next book is going to be more of a booklet.

Early in the general manager part of my hospitality career I was told about a room inspection program by my boss, the director of operations, Kent White. This program worked extremely well.

Over the years I modified the program to a form that worked best for me. I quickly developed the reputation of having a clean hotel wherever I was managing.

The booklet I am working on is a description of that program.

It is my hope that this inspection program will help more hotels improve their service to the guests.

Stay tuned. This book should be available within the next few weeks.

Horrible Service Story

My very good friend, Eugene, experienced what could be described as one of the worst service attitudes ever. He took his car to the local dealership to arrange for an oil change. He walks into, what was called, the service department only to find an empty room with a counter. Eugene stood at the counter for a few minutes when a mechanic walks in from the shop area behind the counter. The mechanic stopped, looked, then turned to pick up a clipboard from the desk and walked back into the shop. Didn’t say a word or acknowledge that anybody was standing at the counter. A few moments later another man came through the door from the shop area and stood there, looking at Eugene for a few seconds and finally took the three steps to reach the counter. The two looked at each other for an awkward moment and Eugene broke the silence by saying that he wanted to set up an oil change. The other man, wearing the ‘manager’ badge, laughed at him. He actually broke into a laugh. As his laughing subsided he said “today? We are way too busy today.” Then he turned and walked back into the shop area.

This service manager was in dire need for some instruction of what service really is. Not only did he lose a lifetime customer, he also lost the potential business of the twenty people Eugene told about the situation. The dealership lost future car sales from Eugene, the type who buys a new car every two years, and those twenty people with whom he shared the story. Was this so called service manager showing any hospitality at all? No, he wasn’t. Eugene didn’t say he wanted to get the oil change that day; he just wanted to make the arrangements, set up an appointment to get the oil change done. The manager was not cordial; he was not generous in his disposition and treatment of his guest at that particular instance.

We all have a story similar to Eugene’s story. The problem is that we all have a story similar to Eugene’s story. Bad service attitudes are so common we almost expect it every time we walk into a place of business. The guests who walk in our hotels often feel the same way. Since we are in the hospitality industry we need to fully understand what hospitality really is. As hospitality professionals it is important that we project the right hospitality attitude toward all our guests. Hospitality managers have the responsibility to teach the entire hotel staff the importance of a proper hospitality attitude.

Joe Vitale

One of his most powerful talks ever.

Now on Amazon.com

My book is now available on Amazon.com

This is so cool. :)

X-cellent Guest Service on Amazon.com

The Book Is Ready

My book, X-cellent Guest Service, is now available.


This book contains all the information I presented at my X-cellent Guest Service seminars. It covers the information about Generation X as it applies to the hospitality industry and it gives suggestions and advice for improving guest service at your hotel or restaurant.

It even includes my secret three rules for any situation. These three rules will give anybody at your hotel or restaurant the guidelines and power to handle any situation that comes up in a way that will keep a happy customer without causing damage to the business. It was these three rules that helped me take a 30 year old hotel and restaurant from the mid 50% brand ranking to the top 5%, beating out many newly opened hotels of the same brand.

Follow the link below to order a copy of X-cellent Guest Service.
https://www.createspace.com/3331991

Change The Beliefs to Change The Behavior

To effect change, whether it is in business or in life, one of the key elements is to change a behavior. You want your staff to deliver better service to your customers you need to see to it that they behave in a manner that will be appreciated and desired by your current and potential customers. Your staff needs to act the right way, they need to speak the right way, they need to conduct themselves the right way, they need to present themselves the right way. It is all about their behavior when in contact with the customer.

What drives behavior? It is the beliefs a person have in their mind that influences their actions and the things in their world. Everything we see, touch, smell, and hear are all filtered through out brain by our beliefs and result in the actions and behaviors we manifest. Change the beliefs and the behavior will change along with it.

One of the best ways to train or teach is by repetition. Think of any new “thing” you had to learn at some point in your life. Riding a bike, or driving a car, you may have made a few mistakes along the learning process. But, as you found ways to complete the process, without the mistakes, you eventually achieved success. It took practice; it took repeated attempts before you finally did it. Then after doing it more and more it eventually became a habit. You could do it without thinking about all the little details involved, the details that you once made mistakes on when first learning how to do it.

We create our world based on the way we interpret the information coming into our brain. How be believe a thing to be true is how it will be for us. The law of attraction says that what we are mentally, and vibrationally, (consciously or unconsciously) in alignment with is what will manifest in our life. If you want to improve the customer service in your business, then your staff needs to be in alignment with that desire.

Now let’s put these together. Repetition and consistency in training your employees, or in dealing with colleagues is important because you want to change their beliefs. Once the belief system is changed and they are acting, or behaving, in alignment with this new belief, then all the desired goals connected to the new belief will be achieved.

So, consistency in training, or in dealing with employees or colleagues, is important because you want to change their belief systems. Once the belief is changed then all the goals will be achieved by virtue of the law of attraction.

Book Hit a Snag

The publishing of my book, X-cellent Guest Service, hit a little bit of a snag.

It might take a little longer then anticipated, but it will come out as soon as I can get it out.

Please be patient.

X-cellent Guest Service Coming Soon

My book, X-cellent Guest Service, is getting closer to reality.

The cover design is being worked on and it should be available in a couple of month.

Keep checking back for details as I post them.

She Couldn't be Bothered

Well it happened again, just as it does every six months or so. The screen in my electric razor got a hole in it. So, it is time to go to the nearest major superstore to buy new screens and blades for my razor.

The store I went to has a name that starts with a W and ends with a T. I went to the department with the razors and found the package I needed. It was in a locked case. I guess they need to keep the small packages that sell for nearly $30 locked up to prevent shoplifting. Anyway, I needed it so I could shave the next morning so I started to look for somebody in uniform to help me.

Luck seemed to be on my side that day because there was an employee in the very next aisle and she was just around the corner from the locked case. Wonderful, I must have a horseshoe in my pocket.

I politely excused myself for interrupting her shelf stocking and explained that I needed a package out of the razor case. Her reply was “This is pharmacy, that is health & beauty. You’ll need to find somebody else, somebody from health & beauty. Try by the back wall.” And she went back to her shelf stocking.

Well, I sort of lost my politeness after the way she treated me, the customer, with an attitude of indifference. She couldn’t care one way or the other if I got what I needed or not. Apparently it wasn’t her job to help customers find what they are shopping for. Her job was to stock the shelf and not be concerned about customers.

As I walked away, toward the back wall as I was instructed, I repeated the directions she provided to the friend who went to the store with me. I repeated the directions a bit louder than I needed to. I was actually upset and felt that my business with that store was not important. It was a 45 minute drive to get to the store, I really needed the razor parts, so I was not willing to just leave and shop elsewhere.

I did find a very nice lady who even asked about my health as she walked with me to unlock the case. After spending a minute with her I felt much better. The first woman, as part of her service to a customer, should have said she was sorry and she does not have the key for that case. It would have been better had she offered to find the person who does have the key. It would have taken her one and a half minutes at the most to find the nice lady and go back to stocking the shelf. And think how much better I would have felt about shopping at that store.

Customer service is doing small things that make a big difference to the customer. It doesn’t have to be extravagant displays of going out of your way to provide outstanding feats of service. All it takes to provide excellent customer service is kindness and showing you care about the customer. Just do a small thing that will make life just a tiny bit better for the customer. That’s it. Do that and you will be a service champion.

Screen Captures of the Toolbox

I added some screen captures of three items from the Hotel Manager's Toolbox.
- Daily Sales with F&B
- Daily Tracking
- Declining Balance

Now you can see what some of the spreadsheets look like.

Check out the screen caps.


Also, on my Free Goodies page, there is one item from the Toolbox you can download and use right now.
- Forward To GM

This is intended to be used at the front desk, or any location with direct guest contact, when a guest has a comment or an issue. Sometimes the guest wants to feel that their comment, or complaint, is going to be heard. This form has "Forward To General Manager" placed boldly across the top. The guest knows his comment will reach the GM.

Go to my Free Goodies page to get this free form.

Hotel Manager's Toolbox

The CD "Hotel Manager's Toolbox" is still available.

Save valuable time.
Get out of your office more.
Do what you do best... manage your hotel.

Over 50 professionally prepared tools designed to help make your day go by with ease.

The Hotel Manager's Toolbox - CD

This CD contains many forms and worksheets designed by an experienced hotel manager.
Many major brand hotels use these tools today.

To view a list of contents and to order your copy of the Hotel Manager's Toolbox, while they last... See The Order Page

WOW Service

I had to say “wow” when this happened. I was traveling through Canada when I needed some money wired to me. My sister was kind enough to send the money I needed and she sent it by Western Union. While she was doing that it was my job to fin the nearest location to receive the money. I found one in a small drug store in a small town about 40 minute drive north of Calgary, I was heading that direction anyway.

The lady at the counter had a problem with the computer and printed the check incorrectly. She apologized and called another lady who works there for some help. This second lady was at home on her day off. She drove to the store to help figure out what to do. After about 20 minutes the owner came out to offer some help. They had to call Western Union to void the check and reprint a new one. The owner came over to apologize for the mistake. I told him I understood and then asked where I could cash the check. He looked at his watch and said the bank was closed by that time. He said he would cash it for me even though it was against store policy.

Do you see why I said “wow?” This kind of caring service is very rare these days. I suppose in a small community it is important to care about your customers because everybody needs to get along. Maybe it was because the people working in the store were, how shall I say, mature. They understand the old school standards of customer service. Something most of the younger crowd don’t understand without detailed training. Sadly, that training is not prevalent these days.

I made it a point to return to that store my next time through. They have a lifetime customer in me, too bad I don’t go through that area too often. If I lived there I would only shop at that store because they truly cared about their customer.

Not Ruthy

I looked on the net for a picture of a cat that looks similar to Ruthy. None of the pictures I have of her are digital.

I did find this one:
Ruthy had more white on her face, but the hair looks about right and the breed seems to be the same. The majority of pictures I find of the Maine Coon are mostly striped, Ruthy did not have stripes.













It came from this site:
http://www.osmond-riba.org/lis/journal/2004_02_01_j_archive.htm
Riba, Thank you for posting this picture. It reminds me so much of my Ruthy.